the state of penang penang_e.pdfpenang – garden of the orient penang, known also as the pearl of...

CHAPTER 7

THE STATE OFPENANGPenang is named after the areca tree. It is also

called Penang Island. Penang city has also been

called “Garden of the Orient,” and it is one of the

most picturesque and romantic cities in the East.

1WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA

PENANG – GARDEN OF THE ORIENT

Penang, known also as the Pearl of the Orient or Garden ofthe Orient, is one of the most scenic cities in Asia. Situated in thenorth-western part of the Peninsular Malaysia, the state of Penangcomprises Penang Island and Province Wellesley on the mainland.The 13.5-kilometer long Penang Bridge, which links the two, is thefourth longest in Asia and the ninth longest in the world. Ferries arealso a common mode of transport for the commuters on both sides.The state took its name from the areca palms (known as “Pinang”in Malay) which can be found all over the island. In the early days,Penang was often called Penang Island or “Pinang”. Penang was founded in 1786 by a British trader, Captain Francis Light. Upon promising the Sultan of Kedah British protectionfrom Siamese invasion, Captain Light took control of the island onbehalf of the British East India Company. Before the arrival of the British, Penang Island was a small,sparsely populated island located at the north-western part of theStraits of Malacca, along the same trade route as Sumatra and Kedah.The islanders were mostly Malay natives, fishermen inhabiting thenorthern and south-eastern parts of the island. The Acehnese and Chinese started arriving in the 18th Century. The former mainlysettled by the Penang River while the latter congregated in Tanjong

One of the landmarks in Penang - Komtar Tower

Francis Light discovered the Penang Island

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Tokong and Krian on the mainland. The Chinese were mostlyinvolved in agricultural work. They came to Penang just a few decades earlier than the British. After Captain Light had taken over Penang, he turned it into aduty free port for the British East India Company in Southeast Asia.At the same time, he sought to open up new land and actively encouraged immigrants to develop the local economy. His policy wasa successful one because Penang attracted many migrants fromneighbouring countries; the Chinese were one of the largest groups.In a dispatch Light sent to Calcutta in early 1794, he specially mentioned that the number of Chinese migrants had reached 3000,and that they were among the most valuable of the local dwellers.They took up all kinds of occupation, developed entrepot trade andgenerated much revenue for the colonial government. In 1826, the British East India Company brought Penang, Singapore and Malacca together to form the Straits Settlements.During World War II, Penang came under Japanese Occupation for aperiod of time. It was returned to Britain after the war. In 1948, Penang joined the other Malay States to form the Federation of Malaya. It became a member state of the Federation when Malayagained independence from the British in 1957.

Chinese - main pioneer to the development of Penang

Adminstrative office of the British India Company


THE UNIQUENESS OF PENANG

Penang is unique not just because it was the first Britishsettlement in Malaysia; it is also a state with a high concentration ofChinese population. A political system with Chinese in the leadgradually evolved in the state. It is the only Malaysian state with aChinese Chief Minister. There is a historical background to this development. While Captain Light and his successors worked hard to develop Penang Island and Province Wellesley, the Chinese werealready a driving force behind the social and economic developmentof the state. Just as the British were reappraising the position ofPenang, the Chinese secret societies emerged as a powerful influence.In 1826, Penang was incorporated into the Straits Settlements. However, as its political significance declined, the Chinese secretsocieties in the state grew in strength. The situation became one of “agovernment within a government”. The period from 1900 to 1942 wasa crucial turning point for the Chinese community. When the Chinesepopulation had become the largest of the ethnic groups within thestate, the community was swept into the political struggle betweenthe left and right wings in China. The growth of the left wing in Penang was suppressed by the colonial government. During the Japanese Occupation, the British and the Malayan

George Town, the capital of Penang

Father of Penang's Development – Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu

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Communist Party (MCP) joined hands to resist the Japanese. TheMCP took the lead in the anti-Japanese movement. After the Japanesehad surrendered, the British returned in force and turned against theirformer ally, the MCP. Consequently, the Chinese community was torn between the two. The colonial government introduced democracy intoMalaya to weaken the influence of the MCP. Meanwhile, the Chinesecontinued to play a key role in the state politics. Between 1957 and 1969, a third political force, represented byTun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, surfaced in Penang. Tun Lim governed thestate for 21 years and transformed it into a modern and developedstate. He left behind three landmarks – the Komtar Tower, the BayanLepas Free Industrial Zone and the Penang Bridge. As a result of hisgreat contributions to the state, he was called the “Father of Penang’sDevelopment”. During Penang’s history of the last 200 years, the Chinesefirst created a situation which allowed a government to exist within agovernment. Later, they adapted well to the British political system.When Malaya became independent in 1957, the Chinese naturallytook over the leadership role of the British and established a statepolitical system to guide Penang into a new era.

Penang Bridge


ECONOMY

At the turn of the 20th century, Penang was used by Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the revolutionary pioneer of Chinese republicanism, as ahide-away and place of rest. This was a period of growth for thePenang Chinese community; hence Sun set up a base for his overseasrevolutionary activities here. He also founded a Chinese daily, KwongWah Yit Poh, which became the oldest Chinese newspaper in Malaysia. Today, George Town of Penang is classified as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. This helps to preserve significant historical relicsand cultural practices of the state. Penang lost its duty free port status in 1969. Since then, thestate had shifted its attention to the electronic and tourism industries.The economy of Penang today is built on trading, manufacturing,tourism and agriculture. Hi-tech industries are well-developed here;many multi-national companies have set up plants manufacturingcomputer parts, integrated circuits and microchips. Service industries related to hospitality and tourism are also doing well.Penang is considered a major tourist spot in Malaysia as well as apreferred conference and exhibition site in Asia. In term of agriculture, the state produces palm oil, paddy, rubber and tropicalfruits. Its deep-sea harbor connects Malaysia to 200 other ports worldwide. It also serves as a major entry point to the important

Kwong Wah Daily Newspaper founded for 100 years

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growth areas of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

MISSIONS IN PENANG

Ever since Penang came under British control, Anglican chaplains had been sent here to pastor British officials. In 1805, thefirst resident chaplain, Rev. Atwill Lake arrived in Penang. He wassucceeded by Rev. Robert Sparke Hutchings in 1814. With fundingfrom the British East India Company, he built the St. George theMartyr church in 1817. Apart from pastoring, Hutchings placed greatemphasis on education. In 1819, he started the Penang Free School,which became one of the best schools in the Malay Peninsula. Being aMalay scholar, he was also responsible for the publication andprinting of the Dutch-Malay Bible in Jawi script. Rev. Louis Courtier Biggs started evangelizing the Chinesein 1877. Assisted by a Chinese Christian from Xiamen, Lim Kim Soa,Rev. Biggs started a Chinese worship service in St. George’s Church aswell as a small Chinese school to teach Chinese women reading, writing and grammar. At present, St. George’s Church, which is located in George Town, is still holding regular services. In addition,the Anglican Church had set up more than ten churches offering

St. George the Martyr Church

Penang Free School


English, Chinese and Tamil worship services in Butterworth, BukitMertajam, Air Itam and Jelutong. In 1827, the London Missionary Society (LMS) sent SamuelDyer as a missionary to Penang. Dyer’s contributions in the field ofChinese printing, revision of the Chinese Bible, evangelism and promotion of women education were tremendous. The last LMS missionary to Malaya, a German itinerant preacher, Rev. JohannGeorg Bausum, passed away in 1855. It was then that the LMS shiftedits mission focus to China and concluded its ministry in Malaya. Thesociety must have liaised with the British Brethren group because aBrethren missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. John Chapman, arrived inPenang from Bristol, UK, to take over Bausum’s work in 1860. Theystarted meeting in Farquhar Street, their early congregation consistedmainly of Malay speaking Baba and other ethnic groups. The Chapmans even learnt to speak Malay so as to reach out to the Malays. Later on, owing to political consideration, Chinese immigrantsbecame their evangelistic focus. In 1866, another Brethren couple, Mr.and Mrs. William MacDonald, joined the Chapmans’ ministry andstarted planting churches. Altogether they served for 44 years, bringing the gospel message to Bukit Mertajam, Taiping, and Kedah.They also recruited more foreign missionaries to commence missionwork in different parts of Malaya. The Presbyterian Church of England came to Penang in 1852

The Brethren believers’ group photo taken along Farquhar Street (Penang) in 1921

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and founded the first English Presbyterian Church, now known as St.Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Then in 1962, the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Chinese Church was started. The Methodist Church sent two Canadian pastors, S.S. Moreand B.H. Bolderson, to Penang in 1891. The former was responsiblefor church ministry while the latter focused on education. Soon aftertheir arrival, they began to establish schools; their ministry laid thefoundation for the English medium schools in Penang. Later, G.F.Pykett came to Penang and served there for 40 years. He could beconsidered a pioneer for the Methodist Church and schools in thestate. As the number of overseas traders increased in Penang, theMethodist Church began to reach out to them. In 1895, the firstChinese pastor, Liu Cheng Zong, accompanied Dr. West fromSingapore to Penang. They rented a shop house near the railwaytracks for meeting purposes. As their ministry grew in scale andnumber, they reached out to places such as Air Itam and Jelutong. Beginning from the early 19th Century when Penang was firstfounded, various church denominations started planting churchesthere as more and more British officials and traders came to theisland. The churches were not only involved in pastoral ministry; education also received a lot of attention. Many churches were involved in setting up schools, thereby contributing directly to theexpansion of education in the state. This had not only strengthened


the foundation of English education there, it had also impacted theeducation that used other language mediums in Malaya. For example,Chinese education in Malaya began in Penang – the island had thefirst Chinese private school and the first Chinese secondary school inthe Malay peninsula. Because of the hard work of Captain Light, the economyand population of Penang grew and prospered. The state graduallyevolved into a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society.The English speaking churches started naturally to reach out to theChinese and other ethnic groups in the state through social concerns,multi-lingual evangelism, and the planting of Mandarin, Hokkien andTamil speaking churches. To date, there are about 160 churches serving the multi-lingual ethnic groups in Penang. Besides, theological training forchurch leaders is also well set up in Penang. In 1954, Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) was established with a visionto provide holistic theological training to church leaders who have a commitment to serve God in the mission field. Since the 1970’s, many churches began to pay attention to internal mission work, especially in assisting the outreach ministry to the Ibans in Sarawakand the aborigines in the Malay Peninsula. From the 1990’s onward, the churches started to be involved in cross-cultural mission work overseas, such as in northern Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia.

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SPECIAL INTRODUCTION TO SAMUEL DYER

Samuel Dyer was the fourteenth missionary to come to Chinaafter Robert Morrison. He was the father-in-law of Hudson Taylor, themissionary who served China with love. While a law student atCambridge University, Dyer saw that the life of a missionary was likewhat is described in Revelation 12:11, “They did not love their lifeeven when faced with death”. He was so touched that he decided togive up his dream of becoming a lawyer and dedicated his life formission work overseas. He then enrolled in a seminary to equiphimself for mission work in China. In 1824, when Robert Morrison returned to England forfurlough, Dyer joined his Chinese language class to learn to read andspeak in Chinese. At that time, the Manchu government of Chinarefused to grant entry to missionaries. In 1827, the 23 year old Dyerwas commissioned by the LMS to go to far away Penang with hisbride, to wait for an opportunity to enter China. While in a strange land, Dyer overcame setbacks and learntto speak Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and even Foochow. Often hewould go from house to house to visit Chinese families and share thegospel with them. Dyer’s contributions toward the printing of Chinesetexts were immense. Not only did he compile lists of frequently used


Chinese characters, he perfected the punch cutting of Chinese fonts, researched the use of movable metal types in Chinese printing, set upprinting presses and published Chinese literature on mission. Hepersonally crafted the moveable steel typeface character by characterand succeeded in producing high quality prints. His superiortechnique which had vastly improved printing efficiency soonreplaced the traditional wood block printing. An ardent proponent of education, Dyer was activelyinvolved in the affairs of the Anglo-Chinese College. Moreover, atan age when illiterate women were considered virtuous, the Dyerspromoted education for women. Wherever they went – Penang,Malacca, Singapore - they campaigned for women’s education andeven started a girls’ school in their home. Their pioneering effort inthis field was commendable indeed. He initiated the effort to revise the Chinese Bible whichMorrison had translated using classical Chinese. Dyer re-translatedthe Bible into vernacular Chinese so that more Chinese people couldread and understand God’s word. He also played an active role in theUltra Ganges Mission, planning mission strategies to reach differentplaces in Southeast Asia. The life of a foreign missionary was often full ofunpredictable trials and sufferings. Yet, faced with the pain ofseparation from loved ones, Dyer held fast to his faith. In a long

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letter he wrote to his young son, Samuel Dyer Jr., he talked aboutthe value and hope of eternal life simply and succinctly. In the last part of his letter, Dyer wrote:“When I think about little Maria, who is buried at Penang, then I think Ishould like next year to go back to Penang, with mamma and you, andsisters; and I should like for us all to live there: and then, when all our workon earth is done, to die there, and to be buried in the Missionary grave, closeby your little sister. Now I hope you will tell Burella and Maria somethingabout everlasting life; and perhaps you could sometimes take them into mylittle study, and pray for them, that God would make them also fit for heaven.I am, my dear boy, Your affectionate papa, Samuel Dyer" In 1843, the door of China was finally opened; it was a longawaited moment for many China-bound missionaries. At the firstmission conference held in Hong Kong, Dyer caught glimpses of themountains in China from Hong Kong. However, having overtaxedhimself with work, Dyer contracted malarial fever during theconference. He passed away in Macau on 24 October 1843, and likeRobert Morrison, was buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery there.He was only 39 years old then, and he died without seeing his wifeor children one last time. A few years later, his wife, Maria Tarn Dyer, was buried in thesame cemetery in Penang as his first daughter who died in infancy.Like other missionaries, the Dyers had lived out the truth of

Protestant cemetery where many missionaries were laid


Revelation 12:11, “They did not love their life even when faced withdeath.” Their example serves as a great encouragement for the churchtoday.

Book cover “Even When Faced With Death” on Samuel Dyer

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Prayer for Penang

1. Pray for the state government. Ask God to give the leaders wisdomand integrity so that the government is able to utilize state resourcesto benefit the society as a whole. Pray that the state government willuphold righteousness, honesty and religious freedom.

2. Pray for the local churches. Ask God to raise up many morecommitted leaders and workers who will be wise and strategic inbringing the gospel to the different ethnic groups within the state andoutside.

Profile of Penang

Area: around 1,048 square kilometers

Capital: George Town

Total population: around 1.6 million Malays (42%), Chinese (41%), Indians (9.7%) and others (7.3%)

Religions: Islam (44%), Buddhism or Taoism (42%), Hinduism (9%), Christianity & Catholicism (4%), others (1%).


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